Ha, Karma! – Chapter 86

You’re a bit messed up…

“Heard someone died over on Wuchang Mountain yesterday?”

Fu Lianxue held Baobao and sat down in Chu Zhaoqiu’s lap.

Last night, a male corpse was discovered on Wuchang Mountain Road. Due to the unusual state of the body and the peculiar location of death, the news was suppressed and not released to the public. The Zhou City police are once again collaborating with the Zhou City Demon Hunter Association to solve the case.

News of such unusual cases naturally spreads a bit among them—the yaoguai.

According to rumors, people from the Demon Hunter Association had examined the scene. The deceased had lost all his vital essence¹, his heart-dan² was completely destroyed, and not a shred of spiritual power remained. Aside from that, there were no external injuries.

The killer seemed to have come solely to drain the victim’s spiritual power dry.

Baobao buried his head in Fu Lianxue’s embrace. Fu Lianxue stroked him, then looked up at Chu Zhaoqiu. “Have they figured out what happened?”

The major demon-hunting families have connections with the Demon Hunter Association and even participate in solving cases.

As the Young Head of the Chu Family, Chu Zhaoqiu should know some inside information.

Fu Lianxue ventured a bold hypothesis: “An enemy seeking revenge?”

Chu Zhaoqiu shook her head. “There’s no evidence to prove it was revenge killing. The deceased didn’t seem to have made any enemies in his daily life.”

Fu Lianxue asked again, “What about the dashcam? Didn’t it record any sound from inside the car?”

Chu Zhaoqiu replied, “It was destroyed.”

Fu Lianxue raised an eyebrow.

This killer was quite meticulous. Didn’t seem like a first-timer.

Thinking this, she suddenly started to worry about Chu Zhaoqiu.

“Since there’s no proof this was a targeted incident, you absolutely must be careful,” she grabbed Chu Zhaoqiu’s hand, holding it tightly. “I’m afraid some thing is going around sucking people’s essence and spiritual power to increase its own cultivation. So you have to protect yourself well. Call me if anything happens, understand?”

Although she knew Chu Zhaoqiu’s abilities were different now than in the past, that she could even ascend to godhood with the right opportunity, she still couldn’t help but worry about her, fret over her.

As long as she hadn’t become a god, she was still human—a human whose life was as fragile as paper.

Besides, someone as powerful as Chu Zhaoqiu was an even more tempting target!

Chu Zhaoqiu gently squeezed her girlfriend’s hand back.

Under the light, their fingers intertwined, their gazes soft and lingering.

“Okay,” Chu Zhaoqiu said with a smile. “With my Lianxue here, I’m not afraid.”

After a moment’s thought, she asked, “Lianxue, what kind of yaoguai do you think uses methods like this?”

“I don’t know. Were there no signs of a struggle in the car?” Fu Lianxue asked. “Don’t you demon hunters have specialized trace analysts?”

Chu Zhaoqiu shook her head. “There were no signs of a struggle in the car at all.”

Fu Lianxue blinked. “Not a single sign of struggle, just sucked dry like that… Could he have been controlled?”

Chu Zhaoqiu paused.

Fu Lianxue touched her chin. “…Like us Charm Demon?”

Charm Demon: extremely skilled at bewitching and manipulating people’s minds.

Just as humans can be good or bad, yaoguai naturally can be too.

If the deceased had been bewitched and controlled, then sucked dry like that, the lack of struggle marks in the car would make sense.

Chu Zhaoqiu’s thoughts instantly cleared considerably.

Fu Lianxue added, “But Charm Demons aren’t the only ones who can learn heretical arts³ like sucking human spiritual power. What exactly the opponent is, that’s for you demon hunters to investigate thoroughly.”

She finished with a sigh. “Sigh, being a demon hunter really is a high-risk profession. And yet, I can’t really say anything to you…”

The eldest daughter of the Chu family—a status that could have let her just loaf around waiting to die—but Chu Zhaoqiu just had to enjoy helping people.

As her girlfriend, what could she say?

As long as she liked it.

Hearing her muttering, Chu Zhaoqiu couldn’t help but smile, gently kissing her cheek. “So I have to thank my Lianxue for supporting me in doing what I love.”

Fu Lianxue huffed and straightened up. “A kiss on the cheek is it?”

She leaned forward proactively. “My mouth wants one too.”

A kiss granted upon request, one couldn’t ask for more, descended.

Chu Zhaoqiu’s hand slid up from Fu Lianxue’s waist, lifting her long hair to gently cup her face, her soft lips kissing hers again and again.

A single kiss on the cheek was naturally not enough.

They kissed with deep affection, lingeringly tender, forgetting all about the little cat in her arms.

Baobao meowed once and jumped away on his own.

Fu Lianxue had to go out today for an ad shoot⁴, a packed schedule from morning till night.

After the exhausting work ended, she wanted to go to the restroom to wash her face before leaving.

Cheng Hanxi told her to hurry back, staying behind herself to check the filming results.

Fu Lianxue waved her hand dismissively, telling her not to worry, then left alone.

The restroom was on the floor below.

She took the stairwell directly, too lazy to wait for the elevator; it was just one floor, after all.

She pushed open the stairwell door and stepped inside.

Brightly lit silence.

She stepped down onto the first stair.

Suddenly, the lights in the stairwell flickered erratically, dark one moment, bright the next.

She keenly sensed a familiar aura abruptly approach—an aura she recognized, and didn’t particularly like.

She lowered her gaze, looking down.

Her sight passed through the railings, stopping on that red figure.

The wide brim of a hat slowly lifted, revealing a beautiful, captivating face that she disliked the moment she saw it—

Ji Congyun.

Fu Lianxue’s eyes were cold. “So it’s you.”

Ji Congyun’s vivid red lips opened and closed. “Long time no see.”

She offered a smile, though it didn’t seem very genuine. “It’s not easy getting to see you, but it’s clear you’ve been doing well these years.”

“Well enough. Better than you, at least.”

Fu Lianxue leaned over slightly, casually resting her hand on the stair railing, her gaze frankly appraising Ji Congyun from head to toe.

“Haven’t seen you in thousands of years, and your style is still so flashy. You’ve even put on such a big hat.”

“What, are you shooting an ad too?”

Ji Congyun raised a finger, gently tilting the hat brim. “It looks good, doesn’t it?”

Fu Lianxue was dismissive. “It looks good on me, not on you.”

Ji Congyun’s lips curved. “You still have the same lack of taste as always. And you’re even hanging out with these stupid mortals again.”

Then her tone shifted abruptly. “But I am gratified that you’ve at least learned to use them, to have them provide you with spiritual power.”

In her eyes, humans were tiny and weak, utterly worthless.

Their only value was their seven emotions and six desires, which could be used by them, the Charm Demon.

Therefore, she would praise fellow Charm Demons who were adept at using humans and despise those who associated with them.

Back when Fu Lianxue was mixed up with that Xuanmen disciple named Zhaoqiu, she hadn’t liked Fu Lianxue.

She felt Fu Lianxue was too stupid.

Stupid enough to deliver herself to the hunter, stupid enough not to see the true nature of humans.

Moreover, Fu Lianxue refused to listen to advice.

She disliked people who wouldn’t listen to advice, treating good intentions as malice.

Therefore, she disliked Fu Lianxue.

As for now… she didn’t like her much more either.

They hadn’t seen each other in thousands of years.

Fu Lianxue was visibly doing well, and seemed to have grown stronger.

“Thousands of years have passed, and you’ve finally learned to use humans,” Ji Congyun said with a smile. “I am gratified. You’ve finally gotten a little smarter.”

Fu Lianxue scoffed. “What makes you think I need your gratification?”

Ji Congyun remained unperturbed. “My gratification is my own business. I don’t need your permission.”

Fu Lianxue: “Then you really must have nothing better to do.”

Thousands of years apart, yet they still spoke to each other with sarcasm and barbed words.

“I came looking for you precisely because I have nothing better to do,” Ji Congyun said.

“Speak your mind or cut the crap.”⁵ Fu Lianxue was blunt.

“My, aren’t you impatient. Is this how you treat your own kind coming to visit and show concern?”

“Are you telling a joke? What concern could you possibly show me?”

“Naturally, I’m concerned about your well-being, concerned about how you’re doing, concerned about your cultivation progress, and concerned about whether you plan to become a god.”

Hearing this, Fu Lianxue let out an indifferent, scornful laugh. “Become a god? Such a boring thing. Whoever wants to do it can do it.”

“Oh? You don’t want to attain the Dao and become a god?”

“Oh? Do you want to attain the Dao and become a god?”

Ji Congyun’s eyes curved slightly. “Yes, I do.”

She was very frank.

Immediately after, she extended her hand. “So, give me your flower.”

Fu Lianxue: “?”

Ji Congyun: “Since you’re not becoming a god, isn’t it a waste to keep that Longevity Flower you’ve nurtured for so long? Better to give it to me. I’ll help you realize its value. That way, you’ll have performed a great service too.”

—Utterly shameless.

Fu Lianxue was almost impressed.

“Wow, your shamelessness is exactly the same as before.”

After saying this, Fu Lianxue turned to walk towards the door.

She was the one with nothing better to do, actually standing here listening to this crap from Ji Congyun for so long.

She actually wanted her Longevity Flower!

Was her flower something others could just ask for? What did she take her for?

Ji Congyun was utterly ridiculous!

As she reached the door, a chilling wind suddenly blew from behind her.

Ji Congyun stood behind her, watching her back motionlessly.

“Since you’re not using it, why not give it to me? Do you not even have that little bit of kinship love?”

Fu Lianxue reacted as if she’d heard a joke, turning back to retort, “Kinship love? Is there such a thing between us?”

Ji Congyun smiled. “No.”

Fu Lianxue: “Well then.”

Ji Congyun: “I wouldn’t mind starting to cultivate some with you now.”

Fu Lianxue: “No way. I mind very much.”

Having said that, Fu Lianxue asked again, “Where’s your Longevity Flower? Why don’t you use your own?”

Ji Congyun didn’t answer.

Fu Lianxue scoffed, no longer bothering with her, and reached out to push the door.

It didn’t budge.

A mass of black demonic energy coiled around the doorknob.

No need to guess whose handiwork it was.

Fu Lianxue rolled her eyes dramatically.

This trick might trap others, but trying to trap her was wishful thinking.

“If you want to talk, just talk. No need to lock the door.”

As she spoke, she flicked her finger, dispersing the black energy lingering on the door.

Unexpectedly, the moment the black energy dispersed, it was like water hitting hot oil—it suddenly boiled and splashed.

Fu Lianxue’s eyes narrowed. She quickly sidestepped to avoid a strand of black energy stabbing towards her, watching helplessly as it pierced fiercely into the wall.

Her thoughts raced. Attack is the best defense. She channeled her energy, sucking these black projectiles towards her, then flipped her palm and sent them all back.

Ji Congyun dodged sideways. The black projectiles grazed past her; she was unscathed, even flashing a shameless smile.

Fu Lianxue realized things weren’t simple now.

Ji Congyun’s magic contained an added evil energy.

They had fought before, so she was familiar enough with Ji Congyun’s techniques. Back then, Ji Congyun’s moves didn’t have this hidden killing intent, this evil force lurking everywhere. It was as if the cultivator had gone down some crooked, evil path, no longer caring about the lives of others.

She looked at the person leaning casually against the wall, narrowed her eyes, and remarked, “Ji Congyun, you’re a bit messed up…”

Ji Congyun knew what she meant. She didn’t deny it, even stating calmly, “I want to become an evil god, so naturally, I have to be messed up.”

Her words landed softly. Their eyes met. Neither spoke.

The stairwell fell silent for a long while.

After a long time—

Fu Lianxue: “Planning to be a rapper? Your lines rhyme so well.”

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